It Started with a Kiss
by Colanna
Summary: It all started one night with a kiss under the mistletoe... where will this lead Serena and Darien? A story of kisses and a little humour. Chapters will be posted regularly! : Please read and Review! 3
1. It started with one kiss

A/N: Hey guys, this is my second story, just going to be a short one, but I'll be posting them in chapters! :) I hope you all enjoy it and please review!

It Started with a Kiss

Their first kiss was over the Christmas Holidays, standing underneath the mistletoe. Lita had thrown a Christmas party for all her friends with Christmas decorations everywhere and the aromas of her delicious cooking were wafting around the room. Darien had been going in one direction and Serena in the other when they bumped into each other in the doorway.

"Watch where you're going, Meatball head!" Darien teased her.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" Serena yelled back, starting to get angry, but Mina casually interrupted them and said, "You guys do know that you're standing under mistletoe, right?" Both Darien and Serena looked up and blushed.

"I –I don't want to kiss him!" Serena stuttered.

Mina shook her head and smiled, "Too bad Serena, you have to! It's a Christmas tradition, right girls?" She asked the other girls who had gathered around them. Lita, Amy, and Rae all nodded, "Of course!" they chorused.

"But –but –but…" Serena stuttered.

Darien pulled on one of her ponytails which had been adorned with beautiful Christmas flowers for the party, "Shush, Meatball head, it's tradition, it's no big deal!"

Serena sighed and gave in, "This is going to be horrible!" She complained, turning to Darien and looking at him with nervous eyes.

He leaned in slowly and whispered, "Merry Christmas Serena," before kissing her softly on the lips. All the girls sighed in unison at the picture perfect moment presented before them. A few seconds later, Darien pulled back from the kiss and just stared at Serena with a slightly shell-shocked look in his eyes. He was not expecting his heart to start racing or his body to get tingles from the warmth of her soft lips. This was Serena he had just kissed after all! Gathering himself together mentally, he tugged on a ponytail again and said, "See you around, Meatball head!" Then he headed off in his original direction to the other room. The girls all rushed in around Serena, giggling and asking her what it was like. Serena, returning quickly from dreamland just replied, "It was Darien, of course it was terrible!" before walking off in a huff.

That was their first kiss. Their second? Only about an hour later under a different doorway covered in mistletoe. And despite the show of groaning they put on, the second kiss may not have been quite as accidental.


	2. Third time's the charm

A/N: Chapter two! I posted two at once to give you guys a taste of where this is going! Oh and just a quick disclaimer (although I didn't post it in the first chapter...) -Sadly, I don't own Sailor Moon, but I wish I did! Enjoy and please review! :D

Third time's the charm

Their third kiss took place at the arcade on a fairly slow day. Serena was sitting in a booth, staring miserably at a paper before her. Even her hair looked sad with her two ponytails drooping down to either side. From across the room Darien could see how miserable she felt. He had to do something, to help or cheer her up, so he went over to see why she was so sad.

"Failed again, huh Meatball head?" he asked her, glancing at the score marked on the top of her Chemistry test.

Serena looked up at him, tears threatening to flood out her eyes, her lips quivering as she nodded.

"That's too bad, your mom won't be too happy, will she?" Darien asked her.

Thats all it took to cause Serena to burst into tears, "My mom is going to kill me!" she bawled desperately, dropping her head to the table with a loud thunk. She started sobbing passionately on top of her test, leaving tear stains all over it.

Darien, shocked by her outburst, just patted her shoulder awkwardly and said "There, there, Meatball head, I'm sure you'll do better on the next one."

She shook her head violently, sending her tears flying around her, "I don't understand this stuff! I study it all the time, I even listen in class now, but I just can't get it! I'll never get it! Oh mom is going to kill me! She'll never let me come back here as long as I live!" She wailed.

"Meatball head," Darien tried to get her attention, he had a solution to her problem, but she didn't hear him over her rambling, her chocking sobs, or her loud wailing.

"Meatball head… come on listen... Meatball head... Serena!" Frustrated he turned her tear-stained face to his and kissed her quickly on the lips.

Shock overwhelmed Serena and her crying stopped as quickly as it had begun and she just stared at Darien, completely speechless.

"Wha –what?" She asked him, confused.

He shrugged, "I needed to get your attention! Now that I have it, I have a solution for you. I can help you study, Serena; I'm good at Chemistry and I'm sure I can explain it to you."

Still in shock, numbly Serena nodded, "Thanks, Darien," she said quietly.

"No problem! What are friends for?" He asked her, smiling as he reached out to tug her blonde hair.

Friends… thought Serena with a ghost of a smile on her face.


	3. Sweet Sixteen

Their fourth kiss was on June 30th, Serena's birthday.

Serena was finally turning 16! She was hanging out with her friends at the arcade and had a huge birthday cake to share, courtesy of Lita.

"Here's a pinch to grow an inch!" Rae said, giving her sizable pinch.

"Ow, Rae! Why did you do that?"

"What? You're so short, I thought you'd want to grow another inch!"

"That's mean, it's my birthday," Serena started arguing, but Amy stopped them quickly. She knew how long they'd bicker otherwise.

"Come on everyone," she said with a smile, "let's sing happy birthday and Serena can blow out the candles and make a wish!"

Darien had been watching from across the Arcade when Lita had brought the cake in. He had laughed when Rae pinched Serena, and now, when the girls started signing happy birthday to the blushing blonde, he got up so he could join in.

"Now blow them out and make a wish!" Mina cried.

Serena thought for a moment, then blew out her candles quickly, all in one go. Her friends cheered and clapped and Lita took the knife to start cutting the cake.

"You know guys," said Mina, "if we're going to do silly birthday traditions, like the pinch to grow an inch, shouldn't the birthday girl get her 16 birthday kisses too?"

"What?" Serena asked, as she realized what Mina had said.

"Tackle her!" Mina cried as she and Rae both leaned in from their seats next to Serena to give her kisses on each cheek, ending them with big loud "mwahs". Amy and Lita, laughing, joined in as well. "That's only four," Mina pouted, but then she saw the icing. Grinning wickedly, she scooped some up on her finger and poked Serena's face with it, "Five," she said, giggling. The other girls laughed as they watched Mina poke Serena's face in several places, leaving little bits of icing behind.

Darien watched amused, but then he had an idea. After 12 "kisses", Darien cut in, "Don't I get a turn girls?" he asked with a smile.

The girls all laughed and looked at Serena who had gone beet red. "Of course!" Mina said with an evil grin, getting out of her seat and moving to the other side of the table to give Darien room next to Serena.

Darien sat down and smiled, before swiping some of the icing on his finger. He tasted the first batch and smiled, "Excellent cooking, Lita." She nodded in thanks. He then put his finger down again and put a long streak down Serena's left cheek, a streak down her right and then a dab on her nose. Serena's face was getting redder and redder, she was so embarrassed she couldn't protest. He swiped another bit of icing and leaned in close to her face and said, "Happy Birthday, Serena." Then he kissed her, right on the lips. Serena was so surprised, she forgot to close her eyes. When he opened his and pulled away, he laughed at her wide eyes staring at him. "Sixteen," he said, smiling, before hoping up and sucking the icing off his finger and going out the door. "Have a great birthday, Meatball head!" He called back, "Take good care of her girls!"

"We will!" Mina called back in delight. The other girls were mostly in shock, but soon Lita and Amy started giggling.

"Now that's what I call a Sweet Sixteen," Lita said with a laugh. The girls all burst into giggles and Serena smiled, wiping off her face, her lips still tingling. It definitely was a Sweet Sixteen, she thought happily.


	4. Kisses!

A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all for the lovely reviews so far :) I'm glad you all like it! I just wanted to keep this story light and cute! :) I'm sorry about the late update, but it is term paper season and unfortunately I had two due yesterday :/ Luckily, I have a bit of a break today, so I figured it was time to update! For your patience you got chapters 3 (the previous that I forgot to add a message to) and 4! I hope you all enjoy them and please keep reviewing! xoxo

Their fifth kiss took place over a month later. Today was Darien's birthday and he was turning 20 years old. He was just relaxing at Andrew's arcade before going to a birthday party being thrown for him by a few school friends. He had a booth at the back and was enjoying a nice peaceful cup of coffee which was on the house for the birthday boy, as Andrew had said -not that he was ever made to pay for his coffee, but he had accepted it graciously anyway. He was just reading his book when he felt a presence beside him. He glanced up at Serena who smiled and sat down next to him in the booth.

"Hi Darien," she said.

"Hello, Meatball head," he replied.

She scowled at him and replied, "That's the thanks I get for remembering your birthday and bringing you a present? Namecalling?" she pouted.

"Hey, it's my birthday, I can do what I want!" he replied, then seeing her pouting face, he sighed, "Fine then, _Serena_, what brings you over here… -wait you said a present?" he asked, suddenly prossessing her words.

"Yeah," she said smiling.

"Seriously? You got me a present?" Darien asked.

"Yes, I seriously did!" Serena responded, rolling her eyes, "so you know how on my birthday I got 16 kisses?"

"Yeah," he said, remembering fondly the kiss he had given her. He had dreamed about that kiss for the entire week following it! Then he perked up a bit, "16 kisses, you mean…"

"Yup! I got you 20 kisses for your birthday!" she replied happily.

Darien's heart beat sped up; he couldn't believe what she was saying, she couldn't be serious, could she? She was giving him 20 kisses? Darien's mind tumbled all over the place as he tried to process what she had said.

"Here you go!" Serena said as she pulled something out of her bag and thrust it in front of him.

"What's this?" he asked.

"20 kisses, of course!" She responded with a grin.

Darien opened the bag and sure enough it was a bag full of chocolate kisses.

"Um, thank you, Serena," he said. He didn't know if he was slightly relieved, because he doubted he could control himself after 20 real kisses from Serena, or disappointed, because he really wanted to kiss Serena and his birthday would have been the best excuse.

"Count them," she said, "to make sure there are enough."

Darien did as she asked and counted them quickly, before responding, "Umm, Serena, you forgot one. There are only 19 kisses here."

"No," she replied, "I didn't forget, there are 20!"

"No, I just counted them like you said to and there are 19, you must have forgotten one!"

"Darien," Serena said and he turned to look at her, "I didn't forget," she whispered as she leaned in closer and gently touched her lips to his. Holding them there briefly, he felt warmth flow through his body and when she pulled away he had a smile on his face. She blushed slightly and smiled back, "Happy Birthday Darien," she said.

Darien's grin grew so big, it threatened to split his face in half, "Thanks for the kisses, Meatball head!"

Serena just winked at him and got up to leave, "Now you're all set and shouldn't be getting any more today, right Birthday Boy?" Secretly she hated the thought of some other girl kissing him.

Darien just smiled, he didn't want anyone else to kiss him, not now, he wanted to remember this perfect birthday kiss for the rest of the night.


	5. Sailor Moon's first kiss

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! It makes me so happy to see them :) Here's a new chap for you all to enjoy! I'll try to update again soon, but I can't say when, you'll just have to bear with me as I get through exams. I really hate studying... but hopefully I'll get a chance to update again/procrastinate in the next couple days! :) Please Review! xox

Their sixth kiss, they didn't even know happened between the two of them. It was just a regular October night and Sailor Moon was out fighting the evils of the Negaverse. Unfortunately, she had run into this dreadful ugly creature with dark energy alone in the park and she hadn't had a chance to call her Sailor Scouts for backup.

Sailor Moon dodged and rolled away from each attack as it came. She moved quickly and threw her tiara, but this creature was far too fast. What she had thought would be an easy job, was getting very difficult. The creature had barely on scratch on him while she was covered in dirt and scratches from dodging his attacks! She was getting very frustrated with the battle, all she really wanted to do was go home and sleep. She had had a long day at school, topped off with detention for being late (she had run into a minor creature on her way to school) and then an infuriating argument with Darien that had sent her storming off before she had even finished her chocolate milkshake! She just was not in the mood to fight.

Sailor Moon released her tiara again, but, once again, the creature moved quickly away from it. It always saw her attacks coming and jumped to the side before retaliating with its own. However, this time she didn't even see him release his dark energy attack until it was almost on her. She didn't have even a second to think and froze in her spot as she saw the dark energy getting closer and closer...

Suddenly, she felt a body hit hers and she was knocked to the ground inside a grove of trees several feet away. A large body covered hers with his arm supporting her head, which had prevented her from hitting it. Sailor Moon shifted slightly underneath his body and her eyes opened widely as she realized who her protector was.

"Tuxedo Mask," she whispered, lifting her arms off the ground slightly to touch him.

He turned his face to the side in order to look at her without realizing how close their bodies really were. In turning his head, he accidently grazed her lips with his own. The moment he felt their softness, he froze, staring at her through his mask. Sailor Moon's eyes widened as she felt his lips against hers. What seemed like forever passed as they both didn't move, but it was only seconds later when Tuxedo Mask leaned in slightly more, to press their lips more firmly together. Sailor Moon just wanted to melt right there.

Tuxedo Mask pulled away far too soon for Sailor Moon's taste and jumped off of her. He offered her a hand and pulled her up. "You have the power to defeat this evil, Sailor Moon," he told her, "You just need to believe in yourself, like I believe in you!"

Sailor Moon nodded and turned back to the battlefield, where the evil creature turned back from its work of destruction and pouted, "I thought you were dead!" he told her sadly.

"It will take a lot more than the likes of you to get rid of me!" Sailor Moon cried, taking a battle pose.

"We'll see!" the creature laughed, delighted that she was still playing with him.

However, this time, Sailor Moon was not playing around; she knew what to do. She stayed where she was until the creature delivered an attack and at that same moment, she threw her tiara and dodged his attack in one fluid motion. Her aim hit the mark perfectly and the creature dissolved into dust.

"Great job, Sailor Moon!" called Tuxedo Mask as he took off into the night.

Sailor Moon smiled after him, pleased with herself and with his attention. She sighed as she watched him dash off into the darkness, not knowing that they were both thinking the same thought… 'Is it me, or did that kiss seem very familiar somehow?'


	6. I'm Sorry And Drunk?

A/N: Hey Guys! I'm super sorry for not updating for such a long time, but exams took much of my time then family and visiting and christmas, but don't worry, I am back on track now! I have a few more chapters after this one already in mind and I know how I'm going to be wrapping this story up! Please keep reviewing, I love all the great reviews I've been getting, thank you so much! :) I'm really glad people like my story! So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and without further ado here is Chapter 6:

I'm Sorry… and Drunk

Darien was standing out on the terrace overlooking the backyard. He didn't want to be at this party; it was too crowded and there were too many loud people, it was making his head hurt! He didn't understand why people got drunk; they got drunk to forget things, or to have fun but often ended up forgetting their night, but he knew what it was like to forget and he would much rather just remember!

He sighed, rubbing his forehead, why had he let Andrew convince him to come to this thing? His day had had a bad enough start –Serena had spilled his coffee over his new book and he had yelled at her and made her cry. She had run away in tears and he felt terrible! Andrew had looked at him with that reproachful look he had every time he made her cry. He didn't actually care that much about the book, especially not after how terrible he felt for making her cry. Darien sighed again and wandered off the porch and onto the grass. He headed toward a tree that had a tire swing in it and he sat down next to the tree to gaze up at the few stars he could see through the branches and the bright lights of the party.

"Darien?" he heard a singsong voice call his name, "Ohhh Darien, where are you?" it called again.

Darien stood up from his hiding spot behind the tree and saw Serena walking –or rather stumbling down the porch. She fell with a big thump on her butt, "Ow!" she cried out, startled.

Darien rushed to her side, "Serena, are you okay?"

"Oh there you are, Darien!" she said with a smile, that soon faded, "Why is it that I always fall in front of you? I always embarrass myself in front of you! It's not fair!"

Darien smiled and grabbed her hand to pull her up, "It's okay Meatball head, I don't mind."

Serena looked at him crossly, "I know you don't mind because you like to laugh at me, but I do mind so there! Oh look, a tire swing!" Serena's petulance disappeared as quickly as a wisp of smoke in the wind as she ran over to the tire swing and jumped on –or at least attempted to.

Darien watched in amusement as understanding dawned across his face, "Serena," he asked moving closer to her, "Are you drunk?"

Serena looked at him incredulously, "Don't be silly, Darien, I'm not drunk! I'm too young to drink! And besides I didn't drink any alcohol!"

Darien looked at her with an eyebrow raised, "Did someone else bring you a drink, Serena?" he asked her.

"Why yes!" she cried out, "a boy… what was his name? I don't remember! I remember Andrew pointed him out to me and told me to ask him for some juice, it was very sweet!" she said with a smile, then corrected herself, "the juice I mean, not the boy. He said some very lecherous things to me! I didn't like him much."

Darien took note to ask Andrew who the boy was later, if Andrew could remember or else he'd get Serena to point him out; he couldn't handle anyone being inappropriate or rude with HIS Serena… wait, did he just call her his? Darien was confused with where his thoughts were leading him and just shook his head to clear his mind and get back to his conversation with Serena –who had been rambling on for the last few minutes.

"And then," she said, "A huge monster comes out of nowhere and just grabs the children and of course, what am I to do? I can't leave the children at the mercy of this monster, so I fight him and Tuxedo Mask helps me," Serena's voice faded off as she stared dreamily into the darkness. "You know what Darien?" she asked him.

Darien jumped because he had been trying to understand her story –her fighting monsters? That was unbelievable! "What Serena?" he replied.

Serena had finally managed to get herself into the tire swing, "Push me!" she said with a smile.

"That's all?" Darien asked, a little disappointed.

"No…" Serena said, "I just wanted to you to push me!" She smiled at him as he started to push her gently on the swing; he didn't want her to fall off! "What I was thinking was that you look awfully handsome tonight and that you remind me of Tuxedo Mask!"

Darien froze as his mind tried to process what she had just told him, she thought he looked handsome? That boosted his ego greatly, but her thinking he looked like Tuxedo Mask? That scared him, what if she found out his secret?

"You think I look like Tuxedo Mask? That's crazy, we look nothing alike!" Darien sputtered.

Serena looked back at him quizzically in her drunken state, "Yes you do, you're both tall and dark haired, same build, both handsome," she drifted off into dreamland again.

"But I yell and fight with you while he saves you, I don't think I could be him," Darien said, desperate to cover his tracks.

Serena slowed her swing to a complete stop, "Oh, that's right," she said, her eyes filling with tears, "You hate me, you wouldn't save me." She staggered off the swing, dizzy from her ride and lightheaded from the alcohol and she tried to run off, before falling to her knees.

Darien's heart broke as she tried to get away from him, she was crying again. Why did he always make her cry? He walked over to her, sat down and pulled her into his chest, "I don't hate you Serena, not one little bit," he told her.

Serena sniffled, "You promise? You were pretty mad with me this morning! It was very upsetting."

"Oh Serena, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you so upset! I was more startled than anything. And it's just you rile me up like no one else can, I love fighting with you, teasing you, I don't hate you at all, I look forward to seeing you for a good argument at the end of the day!"

Serena's tear filled eyes turned to him, "You're not mad at me? You don't actually hate me?"

Darien could kick himself for making her think these things. "Of course not, I love hanging out with you Meatball head!"

A huge and honest smile spread across Serena's face and Darien smiled back, staring into her beautiful eyes. She reached up to touch his face but instead jumped up quickly! "Oh my goodness where is it? I forgot all about it, I must have dropped it!" And Serena began searching frantically in the grass.

Darien followed suit, not sure what he was looking for and disappointed at the loss of contact, but glad she was no longer crying, "What are we looking for Serena?"

"A package, its brown and oh here it is!" she cried out, picking up a small package and running over to him. "It's for you!" she said smiling as she thrust it toward him.

Darien was surprised, "For me? Why?"

"Just open it." Serena whispered nervously.

Darien opened the package to find a brand new book, no correction the very same book she had spilled coffee on that morning. He looked at her.

Her eyes stared back at him as she explained nervously, wringing her hands together, "I wanted to make it up to you for ruining your other book this morning. I felt terrible, so I bought you a new one!"

Darien grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Serena gasped in surprise. "That's very thoughtful of you, Serena," he whispered to her, "but I don't deserve it, I was a big jerk to you this morning."

Serena smiled, "You got that right buster! Want to make it up to me?" she suggested playfully.

"Sure!" Darien replied.

"Okay, well then you have to do thirty cartwheels, in a row!" she said.

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"But Serena, that's like almost impossible! Can't you give me something easier?"

"No," Serena said, "but I can give you something different but equally hard."

"Please," Darien replied.

"Hmmmm," Serena said, thinking out loud, still very tipsy from her drink. She stood up and started spinning slowly, "What could Darien do to make it up to me? He could buy me milkshakes for a week! But that isn't very hard and I don't think it would bother him at all. What about driving me to school? No… Do my homework? Nah, I think my teachers would notice… oh I know!" She turned to glance at him slyly and then laughed to herself, "No, there's no way he'll ever do that!"

"Do what?" Darien asked her, his eyes following as she spun around him; he was mesmerized by her beauty.

"You wouldn't kiss me!" Serena said, "just to make it up to me, that's even harder for you than cartwheels!" she giggled.

Darien's eyes darkened and he stood up quickly, pulling Serena to him. Serena was flushed and dizzy and she looked dazedly up at him.

"You're right," he said, "kissing you is much harder than cartwheels," he looked down at her and raised a hand to caress her cheek, "But I would much rather kiss you than do anything else to make it up to you."

Serena smiled at him, "Then kiss me, silly!"

Darien smiled back and leaned down to claim her lips for their sixth kiss. (He thought it was the fifth, but he would eventually learn the truth.) His lips pressed softly against hers. She sighed with happiness and Darien was overcome with desire. He pulled her tighter and her lips parted, allowing him to enter her mouth with his tongue. It was different than their other kisses, but still held a familiarity he just couldn't shake. He tried to deepen the kiss further, pulling her closer to his body.

Suddenly, Serena pulled away, her eyes wide and full of shock. She just stared at him then dashed away, back to the party where she could call for a ride home. Darien raced after her, but lost her quickly in the crowd. He searched the entire house, but couldn't find her. Little did he know, she was sitting on the bathroom floor, completely confused and waiting for her drive home.

The next day, Darien walked up to Serena, to see if she'd blush. He was nervous and wanted to talk about that kiss. But Serena beat him to the interrogation.

"Darien Shields, do you know who got me drunk last night?" she asked angrily.

"Not me," he promised, "you said it was some boy Andrew pointed out to you."

"Argh," Serena said, collapsing into the booth across from him, "I don't remember anything at all! But if you remember me, maybe you can at least tell me what I said to you!"

Darien's anxiousness deflated as he realized, she didn't remember anything that happened, not the kiss, not the conversations… should he tell her? He was scared now. What if she didn't feel the same way and the kiss would be stupid to her now that she was one hundred percent sober? He couldn't tell her, he was too afraid of being rejected.

He gave her a fake smile and launched a story with a grin, "Well, the first time I saw you, you had fallen down the porch stairs!"

"I did not!" Serena cried, indignantly, but then she considered it, "Well, I guess that would explain the bruises."

Darien continued with his story, giving her an abridged, but highly entertaining story of her antics and her gift. Serena smiled, glad that she had been forgiven, but she had this nagging feeling that he was hiding something from her. And then there was that dream about him kissing her…


	7. Happy New Year!

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, I've been working on this for a while, had a bit of writer's block but managed to get the ending I wanted today! :) I'm going to start the next chapter as well today so hopefully it won't take too long! I can't guarantee anything though because it's my birthday in a few days and I doubt my friends will leave me with much time to write! Haha. I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews I've been getting so far, it means a lot to me to know that people are reading my work and enjoying it! :) Love to you all! Please keep reviewing and here's chapter 7!

Happy New Year (Chapter 7)

It was New Year's Eve and Lita was throwing a big party. Students and young adults of all ages showed up to celebrate the coming of the New Year. Some, who were of legal age, had even brought alcohol. Serena eyed the alcoholic drinks warily, she did not want to go through the same experience that she had had in November again! She vowed to avoid them for the entire night.

Darien, on the other hand, wished she would, she was cute and funny when she was drunk. But mostly, because he wanted to kiss her at midnight. He knew this wasn't a good reason, but he really wanted to kiss her and didn't want to be rejected. How he wished she felt the same way he did!

Unknown to Darien, Serena was wishing the exact same thing and to her annoyance, the girls were prodding her to go talk to him.

"Go talk to him Serena! I'm sure he'd love to kiss you at midnight, he keeps glancing over here at you!" Mina told her.

Serena shook her head firmly, "No thank you, Mina, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't want to kiss him at midnight, he's Darien for pete's sake!"

Mina, Amy, Rae, and Lita all shook their heads at Serena in disbelief.

Lita spoke up, "You may be able to fool yourself, Serena, but you can't fool us! You want to kiss him at midnight and the only way that's going to happen is if you stop avoiding him like you have been all night! Seriously, the poor guy is floundering!"

Serena looked at Lita like she was crazy, "I don't know what you are talking about, Lita! Darien hasn't tried to talk to me, let alone looked at me all evening. You're all crazy!"

"Now listen here Serena, I am Sailor Venus, the sailor scout of love and I know what I'm talking about okay, he wants to talk to you!" Mina told her.

Serena still shook her head, the truth was she was nervous about talking to him at the party. If she did, would he get the wrong (or right) idea that she wanted to kiss him at midnight? She didn't want him to reject her.

Rae growled in frustration and gave up her patience, "Enough!" she cried, "I have better things to do than listen to Serena pretend not to like Darien. Here," and Rae suddenly grabbed Serena and dragged her over to Darien on the other side of the room. "Good evening Darien," she smiled at him before letting go of Serena's arms and leaving to scope out her own guy for a midnight kiss.

"Hi Meatball head," Darien said to Serena. As he greeted her, he saw her expression of shock change to one of anger and frustration? He immediately regretted his words as she shook her head and turned to leave.

"Wait Serena, don't go, I want to talk to you!" he said.

"Then don't call me Meatball head, you jerk!" she told him angrily, "People aren't going to want to talk to you if you call them names!"

Darien lowered his head, chastised, "You're right, I'm sorry Serena. How about we try again?"

Serena sighed and raised her eyebrows expectantly. Darien smiled at her, stepped back and pretended to suddenly see her in front of him.

"Why Serena, how lovely to see you!" he said with a bow.

Serena giggled, "Good evening Darien," she replied.

"And how are you this lovely New Year's Eve?" he asked.

"Just wonderful," she replied with a grin, "I did have quite a rude dealing with some riff raff earlier, but luckily a courteous gentleman disposed of him."

"Ah, that is quite unfortunate, the people they let in to these parties!" Darien said, shaking his head sadly. Serena smiled at him and he smiled back, maybe he did have some hope after all.

"They are so hopelessly in love," Lita commented to Mina as the pair sneakily watched the couple interact.

"I know," Mina sighed, "it's so romantic, neither one will admit their feelings! We just have to get them to kiss at midnight! Do you have any mistletoe around here?" she asked mischievously.

Lita laughed, "No, I took it down for the party, but I can go get some out of storage if you really want it."

Mina pouted, "Nooooo… we can think of something else, I'm sure, or else maybe they will come to the right conclusion on their own!"

Lita replied, "We could… or we could do this?" she turned to whisper an idea in Mina's ear.

"Lita, you're a genius! I bet that will work!" Mina said evilly.

Lita laughed, "Let's hope so, those two need all the help they can get!"

Serena was in pure heaven at that moment. The guy she secretly crushed on was being a total gentleman. It was so sweet and adorable. Oh goodness, she wanted him to kiss her at midnight! Just thinking about it, sent a light blush across her cheeks. She hoped Darien didn't notice.

But Darien, being in tune to all things Serena, did notice the blush, and wondered why she was blushing, was it something he said or was it something she was thinking? How he wished that he was the reason behind that pretty blush!

"Would you like some punch?" he asked her.

Serena nodded and smiled, "Non-alcoholic please," she said with a wink.

Darien smiled and tugged on a ponytail, "We wouldn't want a repeat of last time, now would we," he said.

Serena blushed and Darien laughed. How he hoped to have a repeat of last time, well at least the kiss part. He went to get her some punch, completely alcohol free and brought it back to her, only to find another guy talking to her. What was this guy doing with _His_ Serena?

"Here's your punch," he said gruffly, handing it to her as he took his spot next to her and glared at the guy talking to her.

"Thanks," said Serena brightly, completely unaware of Darien's jealousy, "This is Mark, Lita just introduced us! He's new here, so we have to make him feel welcome!" She smiled up at her new friend Mark.

Mark smiled back hesitantly at the pretty girl, feeling slightly anxious from the glares he was getting from the guy next to her. He stuck out his hand in greeting, "Mark Green," he said to Darien.

Darien took his hand and shook it, "Darien Shields, it's nice to meet you Mark," but from his looks, it didn't seem like he thought it was very nice to meet him.

Serena smiled at the two of them, she did love making friends! She was completely oblivious to Darien's silent anger. She took a drink of her punch, enjoying the alcohol-free taste.

"So how long have you two been together?" Mark asked the couple.

Serena sputtered on her drink and went into a coughing fit as Darien patted her on the back, completely red in the face.

"WHAT?" she asked.

"We're not together," Darien explained, taking her punch cup from her hand while she regained control of her breathing.

"Oh, sorry," Mark replied, intrigued. It was obvious that Darien was in love with Serena from the glares he was getting and that Serena had a soft spot for him from her reaction. Oh that Lita, she should have warned him about what he was getting into! Well, until they admit their feelings, he might as well have a little fun, right?

"Well, in that case, would you like to dance Serena?"

"Ummm, well," was all Serena could reply before Mark whisked her off to the dance floor, leaving Darien red faced and angry with her punch cup in his hand.

"The nerve of that worm!" he muttered, stalking back to the punch table to put down her glass. There he stood, staring angrily as the two danced and Serena laughed.

"Problems, Darien?" Andrew asked his friend, noticing the scowl dominant on his face.

"Oh no, not a one," Darien replied, still staring at the two dancing.

"You know, if you like her, you should ask her to dance," Andrew said, leaning against the wall next to Darien.

"If I what? I don't… I –what makes you think I like Meatball head?" Darien sputtered indignantly.

"Well for one, the fact that you have a nickname for her, I mean Meatball head, seriously Darien? And two, the fact that you have been staring at her whenever you aren't with her this entire evening, not to mention when we're at the Crown! You have been watching them dance for the past 20 minutes! When are you going to cut in?"

"I… I," Darien for once didn't know how to respond. He was at a loss for words. He couldn't deny his feelings for Serena to his best friend, but he didn't know how to confirm them either. He looked lost and unsure.

Andrew clapped his hand on Darien's shoulder, "It's okay man, she's sweet and worth the chance! If you don't go for it, you do realize that this Mark guy is going to end up kissing her at midnight, which is in, ohhhh about 30 minutes!"

That got Darien going, there was no way, _no_ _way_ he was going to let this Mark guy kiss his Serena! He marched off towards the dancing pair, leaving a laughing Andrew in his wake.

"Excuse me," he said, tapping Mark on the shoulder, "Do you mind if I cut in?" The look Darien gave Mark was one so frightening, Mark was surprised he didn't just crumble at Darien's feet.

"Of course," Mark said, putting Serena's hand in Darien's and leaving the scene. Serena looked up in surprise to find herself staring in Darien's eyes. She looked at him curiously as there seemed to be some strange emotion in them, one she didn't understand, but it disappeared quickly as he looked down at her and took her into his arms for the dance.

Mark walked weakly over to the punch table and eagerly gulped down some punch. Lita spotted him and came over smiling.

"Seriously Lita, next time, you have to give me some warning about what you're going to involve me in! I'm still surprised that guy Darien hasn't killed me with those looks he was giving me! And I could feel his eyes on us, the entire time we danced!"

"Well, I never asked you to dance with her, just talk to her!" Lita replied smiling, "So that was at your own risk!"

Just then, Andrew came up to join the conversation, "He looked like a bat coming out of hell, now didn't he?" he said chuckling. The others stared at him for his use of the strange expression.

"Well, he seems to be looking better now," Mina said with a smile, slipping into the group conversation, "they both do!"

"Yeah, let's hope neither of them does anything stupid and they manage to make it to midnight!" Lita said, watching the couple dance gracefully across the floor.

Watching them dance, Mina said, "if they keep dancing like that, I don't think we will have a problem!"

Back on the dance floor, Serena was in heaven, just feeling pure bliss. She felt weightless, almost as if she had wings as she glided across the dance floor with Darien. She was so happy with Lita's choice of music, she had wanted a sophisticated party and really there was no better feeling than dancing to this music with Darien. She caught his eye briefly before he twirled her out and he smiled at her. A faint blush rose across her cheeks.

Darien just stared down at the angel he was dancing with. How he was able to keep dancing and not just take her into his arms, he did not know, but he did love the feeling of her hand in his and he could see the happiness in her eyes as they danced. He wished the moment would never end.

But time passed quickly, unknown to the two of them as they danced through it and soon the clock was approaching midnight.

This feels so familiar, Serena thought, as Darien brought her close for the last song before midnight. She wanted to snuggle into his chest, but was scared of what he would think. But, feeling his arms tighten around her, she gave in and rested her head on his chest as they danced quietly together.

Darien smiled down at the blue-eyed goddess in his arms and his grin nearly split his face when he felt her rest her head on his chest. He had never been happier than with Serena in his arms. A sense of peace and comfort overtook him as they danced to the lyrics of the last song.

All too soon, the dance came to an end and Lita called out that it was the countdown to midnight! Everyone gathered around the TV to watch the countdown. Darien instead took Serena to the window, away from the crowd.

"Darien?" she asked, curiously, "Why are we going this way? Don't you want to watch the countdown with everyone else?"

Darien shook his head, refusing to relinquish her hand. All he wanted, all he needed to celebrate the New Year was her next to him. And maybe... just maybe...

The crowd began chanting, 20, 19, 18…

Serena looked up at him with her blue eyes, nervously biting her lip. She didn't know what he was thinking; she couldn't read the emotions in his eyes. Was he going to kiss her? Did he want to?

11, 10, 9, 8…

Darien looked down at the beautiful girl before him and he could see the nervousness in her eyes and he smiled at the cute way she bit her lip. He was nervous too, but there was no way he couldn't, no way he'd be able to stop himself.

5, 4…

He brought his hand up to the side of her face and her eyes closed momentarily at her touch, "Darien?" she asked softly, as if afraid to say something.

"Shhhh," he whispered to her.

"3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!" The crowd cheered and couples kissed, Lita kissed Mark as a thank you for going along with her plans, leaving him a little dazed. Andrew shyly leaned down and kissed Mina, who returned the kiss enthusiastically and Rae enjoyed some lip action with some random hot guy, taken in completely by her fiery personality and looks. Even Amy got a kiss from a shy guy she had been talking to that turned her face completely red.

As the crowd yelled out congratulations, the pair by the window was lost in their own world. When midnight struck, Darien leaned down slowly to gently press his lips against those of his angel. Her eyes drifted closed as she sighed in happiness and her arms found their way around him. When he knew he wasn't getting pushed away, Darien moved his lips slowly against hers and felt her respond with her own. Slowly and tenderly they kissed each other, as if they had all the time in the world. There was no urgency behind their kisses, just a need to share the deep and confusing feelings that they had for each other. Finally, Darien pulled away, pure happiness radiating from him and he whispered into her ear, "Happy New Year My Meatball Head."


	8. Truth Revealed

Hey Guys, I'm so sorry for the late update, but I was really busy with schoolwork... I was also really debating whether this is what I wanted for this chapter. There were several ways I could go to reveal the truth, but I decided to stick with this one. I debated a happier version, but every story needs some drama! Anyway, this is what I've decided on, I may post an alternative chapter at a later date, but I have this written and I do want to share it and know what you think. Also, just a note, I made Zoicite a male character as he is originally in the manga, despite using the TV series names... Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter, it's a long one, I'm not the best at fight scenes, but it is good to practice! Please review! Lots of love! :)

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><p>Chapter 8: The Truth Revealed<p>

She couldn't believe him, why did he do this to her? He had kissed her voluntarily on New Year's but then proceeded to avoid her for three weeks? What was wrong with him? Why would he do this? Tears clouded her eyes as she thought back to that night. She thought everything was going to change after that kiss, she thought it meant he cared about her, just as much as she cared about him! But it couldn't have, otherwise he wouldn't be avoiding her. He must regret it, why else would he completely ignore her? Her frustration overwhelmed her and tears leaked out of her eyes. She didn't want to cry over him, but somehow, when it came to him, she just had no control.

"Oh Luna," she sighed as her black cat came into the room and jumped into her lap. Serena leaned her head back against her headboard and stroked the black cat's fur. "What am I supposed to do?"

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><p>"What is wrong with you? How can you do this to her? Seriously Darien, I thought you were in love with her!" Andrew yelled at his friend who was laying on his couch, looking severely depressed.<p>

"I didn't invite you over to yell at me," Darien muttered, his hand moving to his forehead.

"Well, what did you expect I'd do, pat you on the back for a job well done? That girl has not looked herself in weeks! The first week you didn't show up, she'd keep coming in hopefully only to be devastated when you weren't there! The second week, she tried to act like she didn't care but now... now I can tell that she's heartbroken. She can't even finish a milkshake! _Serena_ can't even finish a _milkshake_, that just screams something's wrong!"

Darien sighed as sadness flowed through him. He had been so hopeful that night, it was the most perfect night of his life, he couldn't have asked for anything better or anything more. A feeling of deep depression overcame him, if only he had known... then he wouldn't be putting her through this now.

"Darien, you have to do something, apologize or just at least show up! You can't keep avoiding her! Why you regret kissing her, I don't know, I thought the two of you were perfect for each other!" Andrew continued.

Darien sighed, he thought they were perfect for each other too, but he couldn't hide from his dreams anymore, or his nightmares. He shuddered at the thought of her being hurt or killed by the Negaverse.

"Andrew," he whispered, "I've been having dreams…"

"Dreams? That's what's keeping you from seeing her, some stupid dreams? God Darien, man up!" Andrew cried angrily.

"In my dreams, there's this woman, who calls to me and is pleading for me to help her, to find the Sacred Jewel."

Andrew sighed and sat down in the chair, "You mean this is all because of some Tuxedo Mask crap?"

Darien nodded, sitting up on the couch, "It's just that I feel like I belong to this person, like I have no choice in the matter. I have to help her and because of that, I can't be with Serena, lord knows I'm in love with her, but I can't ignore this pull either!"

Andrew looked at his friend, "Darien, you're saying that you're going to listen to a dream rather than _reality_, rather than what's actually in front of you?"

Darien looked at him, nodding slowly.

"Well then, you're much stupider than I thought you were! I can't believe you're going to let a dream about some girl you don't even know ruin your chance with Serena and break her heart!"

"Andrew, I don't have a choice!"

"God, man, look at yourself! This is tearing you apart and you think you don't have a choice?" Andrew stood up, fuming at Darien, "You know what you don't have a choice about mister Shields? You are going to move your stupid butt off that couch and march down to the Crown and offer Serena some sort of explanation. You are not going to make her wonder what she did wrong anymore. I don't care what crap you feed her, but you are not, and I repeat, are NOT going to let her keep going on confused about where she stands with you, do you understand me?"

"But Andrew…"

"No buts, mister, she is like a sister to me and if you don't move _your_ butt now, I'm going to beat the hell out of you until I can carry you down there myself! Now move!" Andrew cried, anger coming off of him in waves.

Darien nodded, sighing, Andrew was right, Serena had the right to know what was going on or at least where she stands. He got up and put on his green jacket, following Andrew meekly out the door.

That afternoon at the Crown, Serena walked in slowly with her friends who were talking animatedly about this that and the other. Serena just slumped into her booth without even bothering to look around. Mina hurried over to Andrew at the counter.

"Have you learned anything yet?" she whispered.

Andrew nodded and tilted his head towards the booth in the corner. Mina gasped when she saw Darien, he looked like crap! What the hell was wrong with him? But then she glanced back at Serena and anger overcame her surprise, "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" she growled.

Andrew grabbed her arm, "Don't, it's very complicated, even I don't understand it, but I can't argue with him. I dragged him down here because he's got to talk to Serena, she needs to find closure and move on because he is not budging on his reasons. I just want Serena to be happy again," he sighed.

Mina sighed too, "Me too, but somehow, I don't think this is going to help, not for a long time."

Darien then stood up and went over to Andrew, and had the decency to blush when he saw Mina, "Hi Mina," he said softly.

"Humph!" she replied as she turned and headed back to her table.

"I can't do it Andrew, I can't tell her. I can't break her heart!" Darien pleaded with Andrew.

"You should have thought of that before you began avoiding her, Darien." Andrew replied, turning away to head into the kitchen.

Darien looked at Serena, she looked lost as she stared out onto the street. Sadness overwhelmed him, where was his happy, bubbly Serena? He had done this to her? He sighed and steeled himself for what had to come. He walked over to the table and all the girls looked up in surprise except Mina, who knew he was there, and Serena who didn't even notice, she was so lost in her own thoughts.

"What do you want, jerkface?" Rae asked him angrily. As much as she argued and teased Serena, she would do anything for her; Serena was her friend and leader after all.

"I, I just want to talk to her for a minute, please," Darien said softly.

Lita stood up before him, her full angry height sending waves of hostility towards him, "You don't deserve to talk to her, you jerk! Haven't you done enough damage already?"

Darien sighed, he was getting a headache again, he could feel the sad weight he had been pulling around for the last three weeks bearing down on him again. "I know," he sighed, "but I need a minute to explain, to apologize."

Amy then stood up too, anger flashing in her eyes. Darien stepped back startled, he hadn't know that the small girl was capable of so much emotion, so much anger.

"You broke her Darien, she gave you her heart and you broke it without even having the decency to explain why! I think you should leave," she said resolutely. Darien hesitated and Serena's eyes finally tore themselves away from the window and turned towards him. They looked haunted, lost, lifeless, and broken, as if the soul she had, had been torn out of them.

"Now," Amy said firmly, and Darien nodded as tears filled his eyes. What had he done?

The girls sat back down and Rae put a comforting arm around Serena who was staring down at the table.

"Girls," Mina said softly, "I think we should let him talk to her."

"Are you crazy Mina," Lita asked, "You know what he did, and look at her!"

"But maybe it would help –help them both. Darien looked just as lost and upset as Serena does."

"Darien's upset?" Serena asked quietly. The four girls turned to look at her.

Rae shook her head violently, "No, he's not upset, he's too much of a jerk. And if he is, well then he deserves to feel that way for what he's done to Serena!"

Darien's upset? Serena thought to herself, going back to staring out the window. I wonder why?

Serena finally begged off from her friends, saying she needed to be alone and headed towards the park. There she walked slowly, lost in thought. She wondered what Darien had wanted to say? Would it change anything? She doubted it and sighed. She continued walking slowly, lost in her thoughts while in the distance she saw someone who looked like he was in pain. Coming closer she could see that his shoulder was bleeding.

"Sir, are you okay?" She asked, running over to help him. Then she realized who it was, "D-darien?"

"Serena! What are you doing here, you have to leave, now!"

"What are you talking about, you're hurt and I'm going to help you, you big jerk!" she cried.

"Serena, you don't understand what's going on, I don't even understand it all, but I need you to leave now! Please, I couldn't stand it if you got hurt!"

"Oh, so now you care about me, do you? Well tough luck for you, Darien Shields, it's too late for that and I am not going anywhere. I don't care if you hate me or if I'm angry at you, you're hurt and I'm going to help."

All of a sudden the light around them shifted and turned red and a ball of energy enclosed around them.

"Darien, what's going on?" Serena asked.

"Serena, you have to get out of here!" Darien cried, but it was too late, the ball of red energy lifted them into the air and deposited them on the bottom floor of the Starlight Tower.

* * *

><p>"Does anyone know where Serena is?" Amy asked.<p>

"She's late, as per usual," Rae grumbled.

"Yeah, but you have to give her some space, she's going through a hard time, remember," Mina said.

"But she shouldn't be skipping Sailor Scout meetings, we agreed to keep these separate from our everyday lives!" Rae replied.

"It's true, and she's later than normal," Luna said, "she would have called us by now!"

"I can't get her on the communicator," Amy said worriedly.

"Well then what are we waiting for guys, let's go!" Lita said as she led the way off the shrine.

* * *

><p>Serena woke up dazed, to see Darien arguing with Zoicite of all people and about the rainbow crystals! What did he know about those? All of a sudden the room turned to ice and huge icicles began to fall from the ceiling, narrowly missing them.<p>

"Hurry, Serena, run!" Darien cried pulling her to her feet as the two dodged the icicles and ran to the elevator. The doors on the elevator disappeared as they started to move upwards.

"What's happening?" Serena cried.

"Don't worry Serena, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," Darien said.

That made Serena angry, hadn't he been the one avoiding her for the last 3 weeks? What were his promises worth to her? Nothing!

"What do you mean you won't let anything happen to me, you jerk! You've already let tons happen to me!"

"I won't let Zoicite hurt you," he replied, his eyes downcast.

"Zoicite, why should I be worried about Zoicite? The person I'm worried about hurting me is you! You kissed me and then ignored me... for weeks! No notes, no calls, no explanation! You played with my heart and then stomped on it! I thought New Year's Eve meant something, I thought everything coming up to this moment meant something! But apparently it didn't. You didn't even have the courage to face me and tell me you didn't want to be with me. So no, I don't believe you when you say you won't let anything happen to me. You've let far too much shit happen already." Serena said angrily, finally expressing the hurt and resentment and depression she'd been feeling for the last 3 weeks out.

Darien looked devastated, "You're right," he whispered, "and I have no excuse. Not one that you would understand, anyway."

"Try me," Serena said.

"Well you know that I was in a car accident when I was young and got amnesia, I don't know who I am at all. But lately, I've been having these dreams, about a beautiful princess who wants me to find her the Imperium Silver Crystal. There's just something about this girl in my dream, I feel connected to her somehow and I feel like as long as I'm having these dreams, then I can't be with you, it wouldn't be fair. Because I'm searching for her, and when I find her, I feel as though I will be more complete, more me." Darien explained, staring out the window.

Tears filled Serena's eyes, "That's a stupid reason to ignore me!" she said.

"I know."

"You could have just told me about the dreams or just said you weren't ready or something instead of ignoring me you know!"

"I know," Darien replied, "I seem to be making a lot of stupid mistakes lately," he glanced at his shoulder and winced.

"And what the hell happened to your shoulder, how did you hurt it? And why does Zoicite want to fight you? What is going on Darien?" Serena asked him

But before he could attempt to answer, the elevator suddenly stopped. Confused, Serena and Darien both looked up to see huge orange flames licking at the walls above them and coming down towards them quickly.

Oh no! Serena thought, what do I do? I can't let him die, but if I transform, he'll know who I am!

Darien was thinking the same thing; how could he get Serena out of here safely without revealing his secret? But it was too late for him to make a decision, because Serena had already made one.

Serena glanced at him and his injuries; despite everything he'd done to her, she still needed to protect him, that was who she was; her choice was made. With a blush on her cheeks, she raised her hand and called out, Moon Prism Power!

Darien stared at her in awe as the beautiful girl in front of him transformed from klutzy, loud Serena into the graceful Sailor Moon, champion of justice. He had no idea, it just couldn't be, Serena was Sailor Moon?

With a huge leap, Sailor Moon quickly avoided the flames and pulled the two of them out to safety.

Landing softly at the top of the elevator shaft, she asked "What do you want Zoicite?"

"What I want has nothing to do with you, little Sailor Scout," Zoicite replied, "it has to do with Tuxedo Mask."

"But Tuxedo Mask isn't here," Sailor Moon replied.

"Oh yes I am!" a voice behind her called. Sailor Moon turned to see Darien pull a red rose out of his coat.

"You're Tuxedo Mask?" she asked him incredulously. You've got to be kidding me!

He nodded and transformed quickly. "Get out of here now, Sailor Moon, this fight doesn't concern you!"

"Seriously, are you kidding me?" Sailor Moon said, "One, I can't get over the fact that you're Tuxedo Mask, and two, if we stick together, we can beat Zoicite!"

"No, I have to do this alone!" Tuxedo Mask said, turning to face Zoicite.

"So you can find your Princess?" Sailor Moon asked sadly.

He turned back and gave her a sad smile, "Yes."

Zoicite interrupted them, "Are you ready Tuxedo Mask? Or did you just want to give up?"

"Never," Tuxedo Mask replied, "But first you have to guarantee Sailor Moon's safety."

"Of course," Zoicite replied, with a glint in his eyes.

Sailor Moon watched him closely then heard something behind her. A large, sharp piece of rock had been raised off the ground and was flying towards Tuxedo Mask! "Watch out!" she cried desperately, but it would be too late. He would never move in time! She summoned her powers and took a giant leap, pushing him out of the way. The sharp rock lodged itself into her stomach, just under her ribs.

"Uhhhh," she cried out as it hit her and she fell to the ground.

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried out! He rushed to her side as Zoicite watched laughing. The Sailor Scouts suddenly appeared at that moment, having finally made it into the building and run up all the stairs to try and reach them.

"Sailor Moon!" They cried out and rushed to her side. Tuxedo Mask stepped to the side as the other scouts took over.

"You'll pay for this Zoicite," he growled.

"What, did your precious Sailor Moon get hurt? What does it matter to you, Darien, aren't you searching for your princess?"

All the scouts gasped in shock, turning to Tuxedo Mask. He was Darien?

"But how?" Mars whispered.

"And does he know who Sailor Moon is now?" Venus questioned.

Tuxedo Mask fired a rose where Zoicite was standing and it scratched his arm. Zoicite laughed, "You think you can stop me with a measly rose?" He launched an attack at Tuxedo Mask, blasting him with dark energy and the already injured Tuxedo Mask slammed into the wall.

"Tuxedo Mask!" the Sailor Scouts called out. They all rushed to his aid except Mercury who stayed with the still unconscious Sailor Moon.

One by one they unleashed their attacks on Zoicite, but he just laughed, "You think a little fire or thunder will stop me and the power of the Negaverse?"

Mercury got up to join the battle and the four girls and Tuxedo Mask delivered their attacks simultaneously, but it was no use, Zoicite was barely scratched.

"Mars, we've got to get Sailor Moon out of here!" Venus cried.

"You're right," Mars replied as she dashed over to her fallen leader and picked her up carefully to take her to safety. But Zoicite was watching her and, despite the other girls trying to distract him, he launched an attack that sent Mars flying into the wall, draining her energy.

"Mars!" Mercury cried out. One by one, the girls were taken down by Zoicite's dark energy attacks and soon it was only Tuxedo Mask standing between Zoicite and Sailor Moon.

"And now we come back to our fight, Tuxedo Mask," Zoicite smiled at him, "Are you prepared to die with your precious Sailor Moon?"

"Never!" Tuxedo Mask cried as he fought off the attacks Zoicite was throwing his way. But it soon became too much for him and his injured shoulder. He collapsed at Sailor Moon's feet. "Serena," he whispered, crawling to her side, "I'm so so sorry…" He pulled himself onto his arms and raised his head to kiss her softly on the lips for one last time, because if he was going to die, he needed to taste her, he needed to let her know the truth... "Serena, I love you…"

All of a sudden Serena began to glow; a pink light was emanating from her body and the rainbow crystals that Malachite had been protecting suddenly disappeared from before him and appeared in front of Serena. Slowly her body rose up, her injury sealing itself back up while the rainbow crystals surrounded her. Their colourful light merged with hers until only a bright white light was left and out of her chest, next to her heart, a bright silver crystal emerged. The blinding light blazed out of her as the crystal fell into her hands. Then the light began to fade slowly until it was only a small glimmer surrounding her. She opened her eyes and appeared before them as the lost Princess of the Moon.

The light had blinded Zoicite temporarily, distracting him from the scene, but for the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, it filled them with new strength, a strength and hope they had never felt before as they gazed at Sailor Moon. They realized that the Princess they had all been searching for was right there in front of them the whole time.

"Serena?" Tuxedo Mask whispered.

Princess Serena, with the Imperium Silver Crystal in her hands, turned to Zoicite and said, "I don't approve of people who use their powers to hurt others, especially my friends and my family."

Zoicite reacted angrily, "Give me the Imperium Silver Crystal little Princess or you will meet the same fate as your friends!"

"No," Serena replied.

Zoicite screamed angrily and through a blast of dark power towards her, but by putting her hands that held the crystal our in front of her, Serena deflected it easily around her, protecting her friends with a great white light.

"Moon Cosmic Power," she whispered looking at the crystal in her hands, bringing it close to her heart and then thrusting it out towards Zoicite with a fierce determination in her eyes. The power emitted by her attack sent Zoicite flying back in pain.

Malachite suddenly appeared on the scene and tried to help Zoicite up, but it was too late for him, Zoicite was too seriously injured. Malachite turned to the Princess and said, "If you want a fight Princess, then it will be with me!"

Malachite was much stronger than Zoicite and his attacks were harder to deflect. They cut through the shield of the crystal. She was growing weak, his last attack had knocked her to her knees! Serena could feel herself fading away, but she thought of her friends that she had to protect, her family, her city! She thought of Darien's confession and strength flowed through her again. She stood up and unleashed the full power of the Imperium Silver Crystal just as Malachite sent an attack flying her way. Her power was too much, too pure for him, it was draining him and he had to flee. The pure light that she radiated returned the city and the tower back to normal, but her concentration on her attack prevented her from being able to defend herself against Malachite before he disappeared. The black energy he had thrown at her, collided with her body, sending her flying back across the room into a wall. She fell to the floor and hit her head on the hard concrete, completely drained of her energy. Her princess dress disappeared and she returned to her normal school outfit.

"Serena!" the Scouts and Darien cried.

Darien rushed to her side and cradled her in his arms, "Serena, wake up, please talk to me!" he whispered to her. But she would not wake up. The transformation, the new memories, the fight, it had been too much for her.

Venus checked her pulse, "She's alive, she's just worn out."

"And it looks like she has a nasty bump on her head, she may have a concussion," Amy said, "We should get her to a hospital right away!"

Losing his cape and tuxedo, Darien detransformed and picked Serena up in his arms before dashing down the staircase with her. The scouts followed after him quickly.

"Serena," he whispered to her as the ambulance arrived, "please be okay."


	9. The Forgotten Lives

Hi Everyone! I'm so sorry about the late updates, but you all know how life can get in the way of things! I am graduating this year from university, so schoolwork and projects kind of got in the way for the last month or so, but I thought I would give you all a nice Easter treat! I have some exams still to come, but what better way to take a break from studying than updating? I'm almost done writing the next chapter too (the last one, my goodness!) so I should be able to update again soon! I hope you all like this one and please review! I love hearing your comments! xoxo Colanna oxox

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><p>The Forgotten Lives (Chapter 9)<p>

The blonde haired girl opened her cerulean blue eyes, blinking softly, to see a man sleeping in the chair next to her bed. She looked at him curiously; he looked familiar and was very good looking with black hair, broad shoulders and well-defined muscles. He looked tall too, looking uncomfortable in his sleep in the small chair next to her bed, using a green jacket as a pillow. She wondered who he could be. She tried to stretch and winced in pain and then realized that she was in a hospital bed. What was she doing here? She sat up slowly and assessed her limbs, they were all there, but her leg was bandaged, as were her hands, her stomach, left arm, and her head. She reached up and felt a large bump on the back of her head and winced again.

"Ouch," she said.

Her voice knocked the man out of his restless slumber and he sat up, looking at her anxiously, "Serena, how are you feeling?"

She looked at him, frowning in thought, "Serena... Is that my name?"

The man's eyes widened in alarm, "You don't remember, Serena?" he asked, dashing to her side.

"Well, it seems familiar, everything is just so, so fuzzy and dark! And who are you exactly?" she asked him curiously.

"I'm Darien Shields," he replied, "a close friend of yours."

"Oh," she said, accepting it as the truth, "Why am I in the hospital, Darien?"

Darien struggled over what to say, should he tell her about her past life as a Moon Princess and Sailor Moon or should he wait until she remembers on her own? Would she remember? Would she believe him if he told her? Would she still love him? "You hit your head pretty hard and fell on some rocks," he ended up telling her.

"Oh," she said yawning, covering her mouth with her hand.

Darien smoothed her hair down the side of her face, "Go back to sleep, Serena, I'll be here when you wake up again."

Serena nodded, she felt strangely comforted by his presence and she drifted off to sleep again.

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><p>"She's forgotten who she is? How can that be?" Mina asked shocked.<p>

"What are we going to do, she's our leader!" Rae said.

"We're just going to have to wait until she gets her memory back," Amy said, "and hopefully she gets it back soon!"

"Yes," Lita agreed nodding, "We will just have to handle everything until she is feeling completely better. We can do it girls!"

The girls nodded in unison. "Yeah!"

"So can we see her?" Mina asked Darien.

"Sure, but quietly, you don't want to overwhelm her and I think she's sleeping now."

The girls crept into the room quietly to watch over their sleeping princess.

"Awww she reminds me of sleeping beauty!" Mina said smiling.

Rae snorted at her comment, but took up the chair closest to the bed, her anxious demeanor showing her concern for her Princess. The other three girls took up posts, forcing Darien out to get some food and coffee.

"You look a mess!" Lita told him, pushing him out the door firmly and closing it behind him. Darien, realizing he had no choice, left to find himself some food and perhaps a present for his sleeping beauty.

A short while later, Serena woke up to find herself surrounded by 4 very beautiful girls.

"Ummm, hi!" she said, smiling nervously at them.

"Serena, you're awake!" the tall, brown haired one said.

"Do you remember me?" asked another blonde.

Serena shook her head sadly, "Sorry, but I don't. You all look familiar and I feel like I should know you, but I can't remember anything!" She was overwhelmed by how much she couldn't remember.

"That's okay," the long black haired girl beside her bed told her, "We're here anyway and we will stay whether you remember or not."

Serena smiled at her, tears forming in her big blue eyes, "Thank you," she whispered, "I hate feeling alone."

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><p>Serena laughed at Lita's tale of how the two of them had first met. The girls had an unspoken agreement to not tell her about Sailor Moon, but to keep her spirits up with lighthearted stories.<p>

"And what did we do on weekends then or after school?" Serena asked curiously, trying to fill the voids in her memory.

"Ummm well, we often…" Mina started, trying to think of what to say, normally they were fighting in battles or having Scout meetings at those times!

"We would hang out at the crown and play video games or get milkshakes and study," Amy said, covering Mina's faltering, "Or else you and Darien would be fighting in an all out screaming match."

"Darien and I, fighting? Do we hate each other? He seemed so nice when I talked to him earlier!"

Lita laughed, "Hate each other? As if! You two have had secret crushes on each other for the past two years! The screaming is just how you express it, or cover it up!"

"Oh," Serena blushed, "But what about now, what are we now?"

"You'll have to ask Darien that yourself, Princess," Mina said with a wink.

"Princess?" Serena asked confused.

"Just a nickname!" Rae covered up quickly, giving Mina a look. Mina flushed, whoops, she thought to herself.

All of a sudden a loud beeping came from Amy's blouse. She looked at it quickly before glancing up at the girls and giving them a significant look, "We've got to go Serena, we'll come back after!"

"Go where?" she asked.

"It's suppertime and our families don't want us to be late!" Mina covered as they dashed out the door.

Serena looked over at the clock beside her bed that said 3:56. It's a little early for dinner, isn't it?

She settled back in peace before the discomfort and loneliness overcame her again. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could only see darkness. It was a little better now because she had some new faces to remember, but when she tried to think back on the past, on her memories, strange images kept appearing in her mind. A man in a strange outfit with a sword and cape; a ballroom where they danced throughout the night and then a battle where she saw him die defending her. She shook her head, it couldn't be real, it wasn't, it was so strange and farfetched; it must be a dream from her childhood or a story!

"Are you okay?" A male voice asked her softly as a hand softly brushed the tears away from her eyes. She opened them to see the man from her thoughts standing in front of her in an ugly green jacket… no, it was Darien, but they looked so similar!

"That is a very ugly jacket," she told him.

He looked shocked, then laughed, "Well that's something you haven't told me before!"

"It's true!" Serena protested, "don't you have some sense of style, a girlfriend to pick out clothes for you?" Then she blushed, remembering what the girls had said earlier.

"My girlfriend hasn't been my girlfriend long enough to pick out my clothes for me," he responded softly to her, "and she wouldn't remember if she had."

Serena blushed as his fingers traced her cheek softly, tingling at his touch. She felt a strange attraction to him, despite having only talked to him these two times. It was like her heart and body remembered, but her mind didn't! She was so frustrated, but she couldn't let it rest, she had to know, there must be something between them!

"Darien," she asked, gaining confidence from the feel of his hand, "who is your girlfriend?"

"That depends, Meatball head, on who you are."

Serena looked at him in shock and her soft features quickly clouded over with anger, "WHAT did you call me?"

Darien stepped away startled, "Uh, Meatball head?"

"And may I ask you WHY you called me Meatball head?" Serena asked angrily.

"Because you're hair reminds me of two meatballs," he said.

"WHAT?"

"Well," Darien sputtered, trying to prevent the girl from having a conniption while recovering from head trauma, "You see, I like teasing you because you get so riled up and cute when you're angry,"

"I get WHAT when I'm WHAT?" Serena's face looked like pure fury and Darien shuddered, trying to fix his mistake.

"You're gorgeous when you're angry and you know you love it when I call you Meatball head."

"I most certainly do and would not, it's insulting!" she told him.

"Oh, but I love it, I love calling you it, I love your hair, I love teasing you and I love you, Serena."

Serena's eyes widened in shock as all her anger faded away. He loved her? Had he always loved her? Had he told her that before? She couldn't remember.

"You… you love me?" she asked quietly, her anger dissipating entirely and her blue eyes widened as she stared into his shocked eyes briefly before looking down at her bed anxiously as red stained her cheeks.

Darien stood there in shock at what he had just blurted out, but seeing Serena blushing and looking down at her bedcovers, he knew it was something he couldn't and didn't want to take back. He sat down on the edge of her bed and raised her chin to make her look him in the eyes. Shyly, she raised her eyes to meet his.

"I do, Serena, I love you with all my heart and for longer than you could possibly know."

She blushed furiously under his gaze and her fingers played with the covers anxiously.

"Is this something I should be able to remember from before?" she asked nervously.

"No," Darien said, "This is something for you to remember now, my beautiful Meatball head. It's the first time I've ever told you, but it's been true for so long," he reached up with his hand to stroke the side of her cheek and Serena closed her eyes at his touch. Just his fingertips and his closeness, his overwhelming male scent, it all set her heart pounding.

"Is it okay if I kiss you now?" he asked her softly, with anxious and nervous eyes, but inside she could see something more, a need burning beneath the softness, desire.

His face was only centimeters away from her own. She nodded at him, her eyes never leaving his until they drifted closed as his lips softly molded themselves against her own. She had never been kissed with such tenderness and love that tears sprang to her eyes. All sorts of colours started speeding through her mind, stories, family, friends, lives lost, lives regained… memories.

She opened her eyes in shock and pulled away as he looked at her in slight concern; afraid he had pushed her too far. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was all right, but she silenced him with her finger on his lips. She looked down at her bedspread, gathering her thoughts for a moment before looking up back at him. She stared him straight in the eyes bravely and said, "I love you too, Darien Shields, my Egotistical Jerk, my Tuxedo Mask, and my long lost Prince Endymion," before pulling his lips back against her own.

A huge grin went across Darien's face as he broke away to kiss her cheeks, her forehead and her nose, before leaning back in to taste her lips. She remembered… oh thank gods she remembered… and she loved him! He was the happiest man in the world, no scratch that, the entire universe!

And that is how the Sailor Scouts found them, after coming back from a harrowing battle; the two lovebirds were sharing in their never ending kiss with their arms wrapped around each other.


	10. Dreams Coming True

Hey Everyone! An update, yaaaay! So this is officially my last chapter, but if I get enough reviews after this, I have a very cute idea for a short Epilogue, that I'm sure you'd all love :) I want to thank you all for reading my story and for your wonderful and inspiring reviews, it means a lot to me! I am thrilled that so many people have enjoyed my story. :D I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, it may be a little corny, but I think its cute!

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><p><strong>Dreams Coming True<strong>

Serena giggled as she attacked her fiancé and kissed him fiercely. Darien pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeper, dragging her down onto his bed with him. A few dizzying moments later, Serena pulled away, both of them gasping for breath. She smiled down at him and leaned down to kiss him again, but his eyes suddenly widened and he turned away.

Confused, she poked him, "What the hell, Darien?"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Why did you turn away?" she asked him half angrily, when suddenly there was knocking on the door, "One minute!" she yelled.

"I can't kiss you anymore right now," he said.

"What, why?" Serena asked, confused, "Is this some sort of pre-wedding ritual I don't know about?"

Darien laughed at her confused look as he sat up and pulled her in for a hug. Kissing his index and middle fingers, he tapped them against her nose, "You'll understand tomorrow, my love," he told her with a smile, "Now go, before those bridesmaids of yours tear my door down!"

Serena did as she was told and gathered her things, but ran back to him to envelop him in a huge hug. Darien wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him and he breathed in her scent.

"It's just until tomorrow, Princess," he whispered in her ear, "Then we will never have to be apart again!"

Serena nodded, and she placed a chaste kiss on his heart before looking up at him, "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back, "Now go Meatball head! I seriously don't want to have to replace another door due to the superhuman strength of your friends! It was hard enough explaining that to the landlord last time!"

Serena laughed and she gathered up her things once more and dashed out the door, "I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, pausing momentarily.

Darien nodded at her with love filled eyes, "I'll be the one at the end of the aisle in a fancy new tux, standing next to the priest," he said tenderly.

"Good," she replied softly and she blew him a kiss and flew out the door.

"It's about time, Serena, we have to make sure you get your beauty sleep!"

"You don't want to be late for the last fitting, you silly goose!"

"What about testing the makeup?"

"And preparing your hair?"

Darien sighed as the door slowly shut with a click, he was so glad to not have to worry about fittings or makeup or hair. He lay back down on his soft bed, tomorrow was an important day, the most important of his entire life and he couldn't wait. He smiled happily as he pictured Serena in a white gown coming towards him; good lord, he really was the luckiest man on earth to be marrying an angel such as her!

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><p>Darien stood at the end of the aisle nervously. It was the biggest day of his life and he couldn't believe it was finally here. He had spent the entire night just anxiously waiting for the morning to arrive so he could start getting ready!<p>

He watched Hotaru, now a young girl, throw flower petals in the aisle and thought fondly of a future with a pink haired little girl and a cute little cherub to follow her! Andrew came to stand next to him with Mina on his arm, followed by the rest of the girls and their dates. But he could not see them, he only nodded as Andrew clapped him on the back and then his breath was stolen from him completely. He was awestruck; the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life was walking towards him on the arm of her father, with an absolutely stunning smile on her face. It was his bride, his future wife, his Serena.

Serena wore a beautiful white gown with a full skirt and a train behind her. The top graced her figure perfectly in a sweetheart shape, showing off the curves she had and accentuating her figure even more. Her hair was in its trademark "meatballs" with a crown settled between them and a beautiful lace veil coming off the crown. On her face she wore the biggest smile anyone could ever imagine gracing her face. Serena was the truly the happiest she had ever been in her entire life as she walked down the aisle to stand next to the beautiful man in a familiar tuxedo. She took his hand, in awe of his masculine beauty. She was truly the luckiest woman in the world.

The priest began the ceremony and it passed in a blur as all Darien and Serena could do was stare at each other. Finally, it was time for their vows.

"Darien and Serena each wrote their own vows to express their love to one another and would like to share them with each other now," the Priest said.

Serena smiled up at Darien and began, "Darien, after I met you, I was never happier than when I was fighting with you. Riling you up was what I looked forward to most in my entire day! And every time I ran into you, it was definitely on purpose!" The crowd chuckled at her admission, "But I soon realized, that I didn't just look forward to seeing you everyday, I needed to see you everyday. You became my everything, you are my everything, my entire life, the other half of my soul. With your love, I know I can accomplish anything, with your love I can feel the light of the world run through me and I know that everything will be all right. I love you more than life itself and I want never to be separated from you again. We have tested fate and time and still we are together, because we belong together, forever. I love you so much, Darien Shields." Serena finished with tears streaming down her face. Darien let go over her hands momentarily to wipe them away, tears welling up in his own eyes as the depth of her love consumed him.

He smiled and began his own vows. "Serena, my beautiful Meatball head, I knew from the day I met you that you were someone very special, especially after you hit me in the head with your test when we met." A few people chuckled. "Everyday, I would wait for you to arrive at the Arcade, so I could tease you and see you flush, you got so beautiful with a red blush gracing your cheeks," he tugged on one of her ponytails with a smile, "I don't deserve you in my life because you are such a beautiful warm light, bringing life and happiness everywhere you go. There is not a single person who you won't try to cheer up or who can resist your charms! I am the luckiest man alive to be allowed to spend the rest of my life in your dazzling presence. I love you more than anything in the world and have tested fate time and time again only to still end up by your side. Nothing will tear us apart, because we do, truly, belong together. Last night, I did have a reason for not kissing you. It is because I have counted every single kiss since we first met that fateful day 6 years ago, not that we were kissing back then! But I counted each and every one, and last night I couldn't kiss you because I knew the next kiss had to be special. The next time I kiss you, it will be our one millionth kiss. And I couldn't think of a more special way to spend our millionth kiss than by demonstrating our true and everlasting love to our families and friends, sealing our love for all eternity. I will love you forever, Serena, and when forever's done, I will keep on loving you."

Serena's hands trembled as she ached to pull him to her. The crowd sighed in response to their vows, Mina's eyes teared up and she smiled across the altar at Andrew. Serena just wanted to pull Darien close and never let him go. The priest quickly went through the rest of the ceremony and they slowly slid their rings onto each other's fingers, both half moons filled with diamonds, stones of the earth. Finally, the priest said, "You may kiss the bride" and Darien did. He pulled Serena to him with a dazzling smile, leaned down and claimed her lips with his own, pouring out all his love, desire, and hope for the future into that one kiss. And Serena took it all in and responded with her own love, hopes and dreams. The guests cheered for them and finally they pulled away from each other slowly and Darien kissed her again chastely before whispering, "one million and one," and Serena laughed in delight.

"I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Shields," the Priest said as Serena and Darien turned to their families and friends, with the biggest, happiest smiles on their faces.

"Are you going to keep counting all of our kisses?" Serena asked Darien in a whisper as they walked down the aisle together.

When they got to the end of the rug, at the top of the church steps, he pulled her to him, pressing his forehead against hers, "For the rest of my life, Mrs. Shields," before leaning in to kiss her breathless once more.

One million and two… and a lifetime more to go.


End file.
